Portrait of Helene Klimt
1898
OK I’ve been slightly confused by Klimt’s extended family
since I read the Wikipedia article on Emilie Flöge, which mentions that Emilie’s
older sister Helene married Klimt’s brother Ernst in 1891, and that Klimt became
Helene’s guardian when Ernst died not long after, which left me wondering just
how young Helene was when she married. Meanwhile, most other posts of this
image say Helene Klimt was Gustav Klimt’s niece. This article solves the
mystery: there were two Helenes – Helene Flöge (1871-1936) and her daughter, Helene
“Lentschi” Klimt (1892-1980). If this painting was done 1898 and is of the
niece, then she must have been six years old, though she looks a trifle older
to me.
Mooncustafer 